To know nightmares
by ZariaDarkwater
Summary: Morgan stays over to help Reid deal with his nightmares and he finds himself deep in thought about nightmares. I suck at summeries. Morgan/Reid if you squint. Please R


**Just something that popped into my brain while watching Criminal Minds. I often think that the nightmares probably the worst part of the job. Reid and Morgan probably have some of the worst dreams out of the rest of the team (Reid especially)**

**This is set in the 'The Popular Kids' episode. I have no clue as to why I refer to Morgan as Derek and Reid as Reid, but I think its cause it's more in Morgan's POV. **

**Morgan/Reid if you look really really hard. lolz**

**And unfortunately I do not own Criminal Minds (if I did Reid and Morgan would be fucking like bunnies every episode XD)**

"_Morgan, do you ever have nightmares?" Reid asked nervously, glancing from Derek to his coffee._

Derek sighed and sat on the couch next to the young doctor. Reid looked so peaceful in his sleep. But Derek knew that the peace would only last for so long. He reached over and brushed a lock of hair out of the younger males face.

The question still plagued him, mostly because he avoided the question instead of answering him. Derek told Reid that if he wanted to talk about nightmares, he would have to go talk to Gideon. When the truth was, he didn't want to talk about his dreams because they revealed his weakest points.

The truth was he knew all about nightmares. Oh yes, he knew nightmares very well. He has them every night and if he's lucky, there's only one. Other nights, the horrors he sees when he closes his eyes are too great and he stays awake all night watching TV or catching up on paperwork.

When Reid had asked, he thought briefly about telling Reid about his nightmares. About how he saw the eyes of the dead girl following him, accusing him with her stare. Of Carl touching him and making him feel dirty, of feeling the older man inside of him. Seeing his father and cops he was friends with die over and over again. These are only some of the horrors that keep him awake. Only a fraction, but they were often the most painful.

He knew that Reid has had a tough life. Being 12 and in high school, no kid would have it easy. Reid had told him about some of the bullying, about how his classmates had stripped him naked and tied him to the flagpole and left him there. How his father had left them and how he was terrified of his mind and becoming crazy like his mother. Derek also suspected that Reid often thought that the people on the team were going to turn on him if he didn't do everything right. No life for the 'innocent Dr. Spencer Reid' was not an easy one.

That was how Derek found himself here, in Reid's apartment, using the crappy 'my apartment building has roaches' excuse to stay and help Reid to feel safe, if at least for one night.

"Stop, no. Get away from me! NO, STOP! STOP!" Reid shouted in his sleep, his arms waving as he tried to fend off his attackers.

"Reid, Reid, come on wake up pretty boy," Derek said grabbing the young genius and shaking him.

Reid woke up, tears streaming down his face. Derek held the boy close to his chest and let him cry. Sometimes when the nightmares got bad enough, crying was all you could do to stay sane. As Reid sobbed into his chest, Derek rocked the boy slowly and whispered that everything was going to be alright, he was there and no one was going to get to him. Slowly Reid got control of himself and he gently sat back.

"Um, thanks. Sorry about getting your shirt wet," he said awkwardly, rubbing his eyes,avoiding eye contact.

"It's just a shirt kiddo. You okay?" Derek asked.

"Yea, I- it was about the kids at school," Reid said still not looking Derek in the eyes.

"Come here," Derek said, motioning for Reid to sit closer to him.

Reid scooted over and squeaked as Derek pulled him close, so that his back rested against Derek's chest.

"W-what are you doing?" Reid asked as a blush formed on his cheeks.

"I'm keeping you safe, no big bad bullies are going to get to you so long as I'm here," Derek said leaning back into the couch so that they were both comfortable, "now go to sleep pretty boy."

Reid blushed but closed his eyes and snuggled closer to Derek. He wasn't about to say it out loud, but being in Derek's arms really did make him safer. It didn't take long for Reid to fall asleep, his face seemed different than before. It's like he was on guard even in his sleep, because he knew that the nightmares were going to come eventually. But now, in Derek's arms, Reid was truly relaxed, because he knew that no harm, mental or physical, would come to him so long as Derek was there.

Derek smiled and kissed the top of Reid's head. Never in a million years would Derek ever admit to thinking this, but with Reid, he felt safe too. As though Reid's innocence washed him clean of all the filth that had began to cover him since he was ten. Closing his eyes, Derek fell into a deep sleep quickly.

Both men slept throughout the night, without a single nightmare to haunt them for the first time in a long time.

Yes the both knew nightmares well, but they also knew that being with someone that cared drove away even the most frightening monsters.

**Short story I know, but I didn't want this to be long and drawn out. **

**But please tell me what you think, constructive criticism please, but flames will be used to roast marshmallows :D**


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